{"title":"How to Make a Valentine's Day Box","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/crafts/how-to-make-a-valentines-day-box","category":{"slug":"crafts","name":"Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"Happy Crafty","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYVz0ehkFnJjKBzcHkhAtLw","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEe0wEKMOU0"},"tldr":"Make a Valentine's Day box from a tissue box: paint it pink, add a swinging flag and a heart nameplate. Easy class party craft for kids.","quickAnswer":"Make a Valentine's Day box from a tissue box: paint it pink, add a swinging flag and a heart nameplate. An easy project. You need 12 things, including empty tissue box, corrugated cardboard and red acrylic paint. The 10 steps start with empty and Open Up the Tissue Box for the Valentine Mailbox, paint the Tissue Box Pink for the Valentine's Day Box and draw and Cut the Cardboard Mailbox Flag in an L Shape.","totalDurationSeconds":433,"videoDurationSeconds":433,"difficulty":"easy","project":{"difficulty":"easy","projectMinutes":null,"waitMinutes":null,"totalMinutes":null,"estimatedCost":null,"yield":null},"tools":["scissors","craft knife","flat paintbrushes","pencil"],"materials":["empty tissue box","corrugated cardboard","red acrylic paint","white acrylic paint","brass brad fastener","school glue","red permanent marker","felt or glitter foam hearts"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Empty and Open Up the Tissue Box for the Valentine Mailbox","text":"Pull the perforated top off the tissue box and take out every tissue. Save them for a runny nose later. Then cut away the clear plastic film around the opening with scissors. Trim close to the edge so nothing catches when cards slide in. This opening becomes the mail slot for your Valentine's Day box, so neaten any ragged cardboard while you are here."},{"number":2,"title":"Paint the Tissue Box Pink for the Valentine's Day Box","text":"Mix red and white acrylic paint in a cup until you get a pink you both like. Cover the table with paper. Paint the whole box, sides and ends included, with a wide flat brush. Two people can paint at once. Let the first coat dry, then add a second coat so the old tissue box print disappears. Leave it to dry fully."},{"number":3,"title":"Draw and Cut the Cardboard Mailbox Flag in an L Shape","text":"On a flat piece of cardboard, draw an L shape for the mailbox flag. Make it about 1 inch wide with a tall arm of 4 to 5 inches and a short arm at the top. Cut it out with sharp scissors. Cardboard is tough, so an adult should do the cutting. Make small snips into the inside corner rather than one big cut."},{"number":4,"title":"Cut a Large Cardboard Heart for the Valentine Box Nameplate","text":"Draw a large heart on the same cardboard, about as wide as the front of your box. Fold a paper heart first and trace it if you want both sides to match. Cut slowly around the curves, turning the cardboard as you go instead of twisting the scissors. This heart becomes the nameplate on the front of the Valentine mailbox."},{"number":5,"title":"Paint the Cardboard Heart White and the Mailbox Flag Red","text":"Lay the heart and the flag on scrap paper. Paint the heart white so the name will stand out. Paint the flag a deep red, like a real mailbox flag. Your child can paint one while you do the other. Cover the edges as well as the front. Let both pieces dry, then add a second coat if the brown cardboard still shows through."},{"number":6,"title":"Poke a Hole in the Valentine Box and the Flag With a Craft Knife","text":"Hold the flag against one short end of the box, near the top, to see where it will sit. Carefully poke a small hole through the box at that spot with the point of a craft knife. Poke a second hole near the bottom of the flag. Keep the holes small. A snug hole holds the flag in place better."},{"number":7,"title":"Attach the Red Flag to the Valentine Mailbox With a Brad","text":"Push a brass brad through the hole in the flag, then through the hole in the box. Reach inside the box through the slot and spread the two brad legs flat against the wall. Now the flag swings up and down like a real mailbox flag. Your child can raise it when cards arrive."},{"number":8,"title":"Write Your Child's Name on the White Heart Nameplate","text":"Once the white paint is dry, write your child's name across the heart with a red permanent marker. Big, clear letters are easy to read from across a classroom. Let your child write it if they can. A slightly wobbly name has its own charm. Pencil the letters lightly first if you are worried about spacing."},{"number":9,"title":"Glue the Name Heart to the Front of the Valentine's Day Box","text":"Turn the box so the slot is at the top and the flag is on the side. Spread school glue on the back of the heart, mostly near the edges. Center it on the front of the box and press it down with flat hands for a minute. Little helpers can press too. Wipe away any glue that squeezes out."},{"number":10,"title":"Decorate the Valentine Mailbox With Small Hearts","text":"Now the fun part. Glue small felt or glitter foam hearts around the box. Put a couple beside the slot, one or two in the corners of the front, and one on the flag. Stacking a pink heart over a red one adds depth. Let the glue dry, then drop in a card to test the slot."}],"commonProblems":[],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-11-04T17:48:43.068Z","published":"2026-11-04T17:48:34.337Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}